It’s Wednesday, so of course you know that means it’s time for the Budget Savvy Wedding of the Week! I have something personal and special to share today, my very own budget wedding that took place on this day THREE years ago! I can hardly believe how fast the time has flown since we tied the knot. As you probably already know, this blog was born out of the fact that Eric and I were planning our wedding on a tight budget. I always knew that marrying my best friend would enrich my life, but in addition to our marriage it has given me something else that I am passionate about and love– this blog! (Which turns FOUR on Monday, BTW)

Today I want to wish my wonderful husband Eric a very happy anniversary. I am so very lucky and grateful to have him as my partner in this journey of life. I hope you all enjoy this little trip down memory lane, I sure did.
xoxo – Jessica

Eric + Jessica

May 2, 2009

 The Sam Davis Home : Smyrna, Tennessee

What was your budget?

We spent around $10,000 on our wedding. Here’s a breakdown of our budget:

Hair/Makeup: $155

Attire: $700 (dress, shoes, accessories)

Alcohol: $530

Ceremony/Legal: $240

Music: FREE

Venue: $1000

Photography: $500 (I bartered graphic design/photo editing services for my the remainder of our photography bill)

Miscellaneous Décor: $250

Coordination and Flowers: $900

Paper Products: $270

Rentals: $2700 (chairs, tables, linens, dishes, tent, dance floor, etc)

Catering: $2,700

Candy Buffet/Favors: $225

How many guests did you have?

We invited around 175 and around 150 attended.

What creative or personal aspects did you include in your wedding?

So many! It was really important to us to have the day be reflective of us as a couple. We were very intentional about all the decisions we made for the wedding. We chose to serve our guests communion and our pastor shared our love letters to each other during the ceremony, both were incredibly personal to us and gave our family and friends a glimpse into our relationship and what matters most to us.

In terms of creativity, I spent countless hours designing every last detail of the paper goods and decor. I designed everything from our save the dates, invitations, programs, signage, candy buffet labels, candy bag labels, wine labels–  you name it, I probably monogrammed it! We spent tons of time making tissue paper flowers to be part of the decor. We used biodegradable utensils instead of renting silverware and we wrapped them in colored cardstock and tied them with twine for an extra cute detail. We served good ‘ol soul food for our wedding meal- since most of our family was from out of town we wanted to treat them to some delicious local fare. I spent tons of time scouring thrift stores and ebay to find tons of mason jars and milk glass vases to use for centerpieces. We had a huge candy buffet with all different varieties of yellow candy because Eric is a candy fanatic. We walked down the aisle as husband and wife to ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey played on an acoustic guitar by my uncle. We just tried to incorporate alot of our favorite things and it resulted in a day that was so very us– we had a blast!

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

I spent tons of time doing research. I gave myself a full year to plan the wedding so I didn’t have to make any snap decisions. I did lots of thrift store shopping and repurposing and diy. One of my favorite things we did to save money was we purchased Two Buck Chuck wine from Trader Joe’s to serve at the reception, but we created custom wine labels for the bottles so they looked extra special and none of our guests knew that we bought pretty much the cheapest wine ever. I have to say, although the wine is cheap it’s actually a decent wine– everyone loved it and it saved us a bundle!

What’s the best advice you have for planning your wedding now that you’re on the other side?

Don’t let anyone tell you that you HAVE to do anything you don’t want to do. Don’t want to toss the bouquet? Don’t do it. Don’t like cake? Have an ice cream buffet instead. Don’t want to wear a big poofy dress? Wear a short chic one. It’s YOUR day. Do what feels good to you.

If you don’t hire a wedding planner or coordinator, designate a trusted friend or family member (not in your immediate family or wedding party) to oversee the details of the day. You don’t want to worry about setting up all the centerpieces, signage and decor yourself. Take the time to designate someone to handle that for you– you will be so much happier and calm if you can just relax and take it all in. The day goes by in SUCH a blur, you will want to spend every moment fully present with your bridal party, your family, friends, and new hubby!

What was your biggest splurge?

I don’t know that it was a ‘splurge’ per se but at the last minute I decided to change our rental order from white chairs to brown natural wooden ones. It was a silly little change that was totally for visual reasons only, and it cost us an extra $50 or $100 I think, but I am SO glad we did it. The wooden chairs looked so much better with our color scheme, I think the white chairs would’ve washed things out too much.

What was your favorite detail?

I loved all of the paper products, the candy buffet, the wine labels. I really loved carrying our theme across all aspects of the day.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

SO many! I loved the first look moment with Eric. We got to spend some time alone and really be with each other for about 30 or 45 minutes. After the ceremony was over and the reception begun we were in a whirlwind of talking with guests, dancing and celebrating so it was nice to have those quiet, sweet moments together to take pictures and revel in the occasion together! I also loved dancing with my new hubby, my dad, and my grandfather during the reception– all such sweet and special moments!

VENDORS:

Photography: Chris & Adrienne Scott for Evin Photography  |  Venue: The Sam Davis Home  |  Flowers and Coordination: Tara Milam  |  Wedding Gown and bridesmaid dresses: A Special Touch  |   |   Catering: Miller’s Cafe   |   Paper Products: JessLehry Designs   |   Makeup: Amy Lynn Larwig   | Rentals: Classic Party Rentals

Hi Everyone,

I just want to start by saying that I am SO excited to be here and be able to write for Budget Savvy Bride!

My name is Laura and I am 26 years old, and an administrative assistant at a community college. My fiancé’s name is Geoff; he is 33 and a high school history and civics teacher.

 We met each other in our church single’s group more than three years ago. I wouldn’t say it was love at first sight necessarily, but I did think he was really cute! (I mean, just look at him!) As I got to know him over the next few months, I discovered that he was also kind, generous, considerate, and really funny. Yeah, I really liked him, I couldn’t help myself! I even told my friends “this is the kind of guy I could see myself marrying one day.”

However, as the most eligible guy in our group full of girls, I wasn’t holding my breath for any kind of reciprocation. But he must have seen something he liked, because we started dating a few months later. We dated for a little over two years and two weeks ago he asked me to be his wife. Of course, I said YES!

To help you get to know me a little bit better, I thought I would give you a list of the Top 10 things I love most.

1. Jesus

2. Geoff

3. My engagement ring. (Seriously, isn’t it gorgeous!?!)

4. Family and friends (Yes, I ranked my ring higher than my friends and family, but really I love them about the same )

5. Coke Zero (“Hi, my name is Laura and I am addicted to Coke Zero.” Admitting you have a problem is the first step, right?)

6. The state of North Carolina. (I am NC born and bred and I love it more than any other place on earth.)

7. Martha Stewart. (I love all things Martha Stewart. Have you seen her craft room? There have to be rooms like that in heaven.)

8. Kitchenaid Stand Mixers. (My roommate has one and I really hope we get one as a wedding present. They are AWESOME!)

9. Wedding Magazines (Oh, you have no idea. I’ll post more about this later.)

10. DVR (In my opinion, the best thing since sliced bread. What did we do before this?)

Now, for wedding details;

When: October 20, 2012

Yes, just a little less than 6 months away!

Number of Guests: 125-150

Not quite sure yet about how many we’ll invite, we both come from really large families. But we’re definitely going to try and keep it under 150.

Budget: $7,000

My parents are contributing the majority of the funds and Geoff and I will be paying for misc. expenses as they arise.

One reason we’re trying to keep the cost low is because we’re probably going to have to buy a new vehicle soon after the wedding and we know it would be more prudent to save for that than spend the money on the wedding.

But just because we’re cutting back on budget doesn’t mean we’re cutting back on awesomeness! My goal is to prove (to myself, mostly) that even though our budget is tight, we’re still going to have a fantastic wedding.

I’m so excited to begin this journey and I’m so glad that y’all are along for the ride. I gladly welcome and thoughts or advice!

First I checked out their website to see some of their past work, which I loved– No two weddings looked the same or generic! I appreciate the way that they capture a LOT of the moments in the day that could easily be overlooked, and do so in a creative way. They don’t shoot only the ceremony & stereotypical wedding poses, they get a lot of informal and un-posed shots too, which I love. It’s one thing for a photographer to assure you that they will or won’t do something when you directly ask, it’s another entirely to actually see what you’re looking for displayed in their previously done work.

Dane & Leslie are also both very artistic and pay attention to little details that I feel many photographers might not. Spending hours assembling cute programs or other DIYs might not be something that is later paid much attention to by all guests, but I know that these two will notice and capture the details that others may overlook. As far as the “day of,” we know what to expect and when to expect it in general (as needed for my far-too-detailed itinerary), which puts my mind at ease. From our first Skype session, they both showed a very genuine interest in coming to Nashville and shooting our rustic barn wedding, and we didn’t feel like “just another wedding” that they were going through the motions on.

Many brides have told me that after the dust settles, your pictures are what really serve as reminders of the day’s special moments– I can’t wait to see what Dane & Leslie come up with!

I would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest sponsor-friends MyWeddingRSVP! If you’re looking for an eco-friendly AND affordable alternative to the standard-little-response-card and matching-envelope-that-needs-an-additional-stamp-therefore-increasing-your-stationery-expense option!

The kind folks at MyWeddingRSVP work with the bride and groom to tailor their rsvp website to their wedding colours and style. Everything is highly customizable, which is great for those of you who want to keep your wedding theme cohesive and chic!

Some of the best parts about MyWeddingRSVP:

•  It is SUPER convenient for the bride and groom (organizing their guest’s responses all in one place)
•  Convenient for your guests (very simple to respond online)
•  You can view real-time statistics on the number of guests attending, not attending and awaiting reply and much more in the admin section.
•  It is an eco-friendly wedding service, less waste and less postage when using an online RSVP!

My hubby and I used our an online RSVP for my own wedding and we loved how convenient and easy it was to keep track of! MyWeddingRSVP is a great option to consider if you’re looking for an online RSVP service! Want to try it out? Check out this demo!

Happy Monday everyone! Please forgive the delay on my part in announcing our brand spankin’ new absolutely FABULOUS guest bloggers! These ladies will all be sharing their wedding planning process with you over the next several months! Please give them a warm BSB welcome!!

Laura + Geoff

North Carolina – Fall 2012

Budget: $7,500

Joscelyn + Nate

Pennsylvania – Fall 2012

Budget: $13,000

Danielle + Dan

Canada – Summer 2012

Budget: $13,000

 Erin + Nick

Maryland – Fall 2012

Budget: $12,000

Maureen + Max

Wisconsin – Fall 2012

Budget: $10,000

Amanda + Taylor

California – Fall 2012

Budget: $13,000

They will be posting their introduction posts with more info about their big day, inspiration, and backgrounds over the next several weeks so GET EXCITED!! Can’t wait to follow another group of gals as they plan their budget savvy weddings!